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Media Release

October 9, 2006

KLRU awarded more than $300,000 in federal grant money

KLRU-TV, Austin PBS, has received a $342,953 grant from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Public Telecommunications Facilities Program. The station will use the money to purchase digital broadcast and production equipment that will expand KLRU’s ability to produce new programs and to deliver the highest quality signal to the more than 600,000 Central Texas homes served by the station.

"I already enjoy Austin City Limits and other programs one finds only on KLRU, and now we will be able to enjoy them in digital-quality picture and sound," said Congressman Lloyd Doggett, a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee. "This grant will further enable KLRU to broadcast its entertaining and educational programming with state-of-the-art technology."

This is a matching grant and KLRU will raise an additional $342,954 from regional foundations and other sources to complete this stage of the conversion process. The Federal Communications Commission has mandated that all television stations be fully converted to digital television programming by February 2009.

“With this grant and the matching funds we are raising, KLRU will be able to ensure the appropriate infrastructure is in place for the federally mandated change to digital broadcasting and for the creation and delivery of the highest possible quality programming for Central Texas,” said Bill Stotesbery, KLRU CEO/General Manager. “We’re honored that the NTIA saw KLRU as an important resource for Central Texas and the matching requirement will allow us to leverage the community’s strong support even further.”

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is the President's principal adviser on telecommunications and information policy issues, and in this role frequently works with other Executive Branch agencies to develop and present the Administration's position on these issues. The Public Telecommunications Facilities Program (PTFP) is a competitive grant program to help public broadcasting stations, state and local governments, Indian tribes and nonprofit organizations construct facilities to bring educational and cultural programs to the American Public using broadcasting and non-broadcasting telecommunications technologies.

About KLRU:

KLRU-TV, Austin PBS, reflects, celebrates and inspires Central Texas through creative excellence,
community engagement and lifelong learning. Although primarily a television station providing locally produced and quality national programming, KLRU is also a non-profit organization helping to build a stronger community through educational workshops, community outreach projects and public events. Get more information about KLRU at klru.org.

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